The City of Shandra
by Raikiba
Summary: When the daughter of Norland,Yuki,comes across Jaya island,which is cursed by a plague.She is detirmined to save the villagers at any cost.The story of the demon and the liar retold.However,this time there is a romantic twist.CalgaraXOCdaughter of Norland
1. The Demon and The Pirate

This is my first fanfic ever, please go easy on me. After I have watched the skypiea season and saw the story of Norland and Calgara, I was touched. Then, I thought what if it was a love story with the 'daughter' of Norland instead. The funny thing is I had this idea for two years now, but I finally started to write something. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece, I will leave it up to the master Eiichiro Oda. ^_^

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><p>Chapter 1: the demon and the pirate<p>

Long, long ago, around 400 years in the past.

A story never recorded in writing,

But continually engraved into the hearts of those who hear it.

The story of the warrior known as a demon, and a pirate he fell in love with.

The grand line best known as the Pirates Graveyard, this stretch of ocean is referred to as the most dangerous place in the world by the people from the of the four Blues (North blue, South Blue, East Blue and West Blue).

We find our heroes in the midst of this ocean, and that is where our story begins.

The sun was high past its height peak. We fine our heroine Yuki was lying on her beach chair on the deck reading her book. Her first mate slash navigator was beside her reporting some unfortunate news.

"Captain, the daily report. We have reached the end of our ship's food supply!We will now…slowly…die at sea….!" John stated slow, desperately.

From another corner on the deck the cook collapsed.

"Ah, captain the cook just fainted." A crew mate stated.

They had been sailing for quite some time now. There last stop was more than a month ago. The ship can only hold so much food and with a medium size crew the food supply should have actually lasted for about three weeks. Everyone was in disarray not knowing what to do. While many were discussing of the possibility of dying from hunger at sea, Yuki got off from her chair not saying a word. She removed her boots and walked slowly towards the edge of the deck.

With a tired expression she prepared herself and dove into the ocean. No one but John, saw this. The crew members were too busy being pessimistic.

"Dang it! The last of our food is done. What are we going to survive on now?"

All the crew members heard a splash of distracted them from their negativity. They looked around and noticed that their captain was gone.

"Hey, where did the captain go?" one of the crew mates asked their second in command John.

John said nothing just looking over the railing with a concern face.

_That idiot why does she always have to be so reckless. _John thought to himself.

Everyone looked around looking for their captain. But, all they saw was Captain's empty beach chair and her boots lying next to the railing of the deck. The crew looked over the railing.

"The Captain could not have jumped into the sea, would she?"

"This is the grand line, the most dangerous sea, of course she would not be stupid enough to jump in, would she…?" The two crew mates stared at each other with a questioning and worried look.

John, was getting a bit worried. He was contemplating on jumping in after her. A few minutes have passed and still no sign of her surfacing. However, a loud noise and movement seemed to have came from below the ship making the ship rock back and forth.

Everyone on board became a bit worried.

"What was that?"

"I don't know, I hope the captain is alright."

Now the entire crew was now looking over the railing counting the seconds waiting for any sign. They were so focused they did not hear someone approaching from behind.

"What are you guys looking at?"

Everyone turned around and saw their captain climbing back on board on the other side of the deck. She was dripping wet with a rope in her hand.

"Captain, you're alright?"

"Of course, what a silly question to be asking." Yuki stated bluntly.

She handed John the rope she had in her hand. John looked at the rope with a confusing look.

"Ah, a rope? Captain, what do you want us to do with this rope?"

"Well, pull the rope." She said with a smile on her face.

Everyone gathered around and started pulling the rope. John and the rest of the crew thought it would be a net filled with fishes due to how heavy it was. However, what was at the end of the rope had shocked them all. They were not far off. It was…..well…. _a fish_, however the fish was bigger than the ship itself.

"Captain, such a huge fish how….?" John could not finish his sentence he was too shocked to speak.

"Ah, no worries that thing did not really put up a fight at all, this was all just a warm up. I can't be sitting here on my butt the whole day now can I? So, will that solve our food problem?" Yuki said meanwhile drying out her hair.

Everyone just stared at their captain with open mouths. John replied.

"Yes, Captain it most certainly will. It will last us for quite some time, but captain how ….?" John could not even finish his sentence, he was still too shocked.

"Don't start with me John, I know I could have gone for a bigger one then this, but I was a bit too lazy. Won't this be enough for now?" Yuki asked with a pouting face.

The crew was shocked to hear the words that came from her mouth. They just nodded in agreement.

John just started to laugh. He should have been accustomed by this sort of thing; he has been with her for many years now. But, she would always shock him no matter how many times.

Meanwhile, the crew was busy with the fish, John stared at his captain, at a first glance she would not appear as a girl; her white hair was cropped short and ended by her neck going bit down to her shoulder, but most of the times she would tie it back into a ponytail. Unlike her descendants, she did not inherit the chestnut on her head that her father's descendents seemed to pass down; she had her mother's hair. She was also lean built, had soft smooth skin, amethyst eyes, and had beautiful curves; however, they were all hidden behind the clothing she wears. She wore a black tank top with a blue ruffled mini skirt, underneath that mini skirt she wore a blue and white striped legging and she had on feminine boots.

But, of course that is not what hides her feminine curves. It was what she wore above that set of clothing. When she and her crew would go exploring, she would wear a high-collared black coat, closed by a belt, and an orange scarf, over the set of clothing she already had on. She also carried around her katana with a white and blue hilt-bandaging, on her left hip, in an orange scabbard with a green band on it. With that wardrobe she always had gotten mistaken for as a boy.

Before John met Yuki, he had heard amazing stories about her. The captain was a famous pirate, and there were many who spoke about her journeys into the Grand line. Stories like, she could create a miracle like healing a whole country from a plague and so on. However, not many people believed in the stories. Those people labeled her tales as lies, made up stories just to boost her reputation. It was those stories that drew him to this crew.

When John first met Yuki, he was caught off guard. She was not what he expected her to be. He had mistaken her for a young boy due to the way she was dressed, and the last person he would have guessed as the captain. He thought, she was one of the swabbies on board the ship. Not until he traveled with the crew, and came to know his captain was a female.

John has been with the crew for quite some time now, at least 3 years and everyone was like family to him. He came to admire his beloved captain even more. She was one of a kind; she never seemed to stop to amaze him with her strengths and courage. She always had a strong determination and protective streak about her when she gets serious. She also had a playful side, liked to tease too much sometimes. John laughed to himself.

The next day, they were caught in a storm.

"Captain, we are caught in a storm." John informed from the door to Yuki's room.

"So it seems, I felt the ship rocking." She said with a smile.

""_So it seems_", is that all you have got to say captain." he responded with a laugh.

"What else do you want me to say? If it's just a storm I am sure you're capable of sailing us out of this storm, so I don't think you need my help. Or are you trying to push your job on to me. Somebody's getting lazy." She chuckled to herself and continued with what she was doing. John laughed and took that as a sign to leave.

Yuki who was in her room, continued writing in her log book, updating it.

"_We have sailed through the grand line for years now and it's a miracle that we've managed to go on this long. And I am starting to get tired of it. My stupid old man making me Captain of his ship, not that I don't like it, my crew is like family to me. And my old man who is probably sleeping right now in his room, he means a lot to me. It's just that, this sailing around just gets tiring over time. It would be good to finally settle down somewhere. " _

While very focused on her writing, Yuki was disrupted from her thoughts. She stops writing all of a sudden and focused on something else.

_What was that sound?_

It was a sound that she was trying to focus on. She definitely sure she had heard something before. And right when she was going to give up in waiting. She heard it again.

_It sounds like a bell chime, I can barely hear it, but I am sure it sounded like a bell chime_. She focused really hard one more time, but the sounds in the background were interrupting.

In the background she could hear the crew trying to sail through the storm.

_A lot of things seemed to be going on out there. _She heard her crew men yelling.

"The yardarm's broken off!,"

"What are you talking about?" John had a puzzled look on his face. _How could a ships yardarm break off?Those things cannot be easily damaged_, he thought.

"Where in heavens name could the yardarms have gone too." He stated.

Yuki chuckled. _Seems like, I should go outside._

Yuki closed her log book, and got up from behind her desk and headed towards her door and she grabbed her coat. Preparing herself for the bad weather outside. As she got outside, she looked around. She saw her crewman running around all busy with their task in trying to sail out of this weather. She noticed John and walked up to him.

"Hey, did you hear that?"

John who was in deep thought did not notice his captain approaching.

"Huh? Hear what? The only thing we hear Captain is the thunder and storm." John said with a puzzled look on his face.

"Oh… well I heard a sound more like a magnificent bell chime." She was hoping that perhaps others might have heard it, but apparently she was the only one.

Meanwhile, on a forest- covered island known as Jaya Island. There seemed to be a crisis going on. For, many months now on Jaya, many of the Shandians seem to have fallen extremely ill and not soon after they would die. At the beginning everyone thought it was just a mild case of the flu going around, but things started to change when some Shandians started to notice green spots on their bodies before they became extremely ill. The Shandians tried everything, starting from mixing all different kinds of herbs to going all the way to chanting, but nothing seemed to work. And to make things worse not only did the plague infect the people, but also their crops and their other natural resources.

The village council had gathered around to further discuss what other options they had left. In the hut the council sat in a circle on the floor. At the head of the circle was the old Chief.

"Let's start this meeting." said the Chief.

"Chief, we have tried everything, from mixing different herbs to chanting to the gods. And things have only gotten worse; this plague needs to come to an end." stated one of the council members.

The room became silent. _Have we really tried everything? _The Chief thought. One of the council members broke the silence.

"Chief, we have not considered every option." The council member did not need to continue, the Chief knew which option he was referring to. And it was the one option he did not want to even consider. The council member continued to plead.

"Please, consider it! We know you don't want to Chief, but we have no choice left. More and of our people are dying, our food and water supply are getting infected bit by bit. Even the animals in the forest are infected so we can't hunt anymore. Things are different now we need to do a …"

"I know!" the Chief stated with an exhausted expression. "What does the priest has to say about this?"

Just then a man walked in. He had striking red hair that extends down to his waist, and had red tattoos on both sides of his tanned shoulders. He had no shirt on and he had on a purple laced- leg pants under a grass skirt. And like all Shandians, he has a pair of small, white wings extending from his back. His body was built as a soldier, with muscles, biceps, a six pack, he came with the whole package.

Everyone turned and noticed it was who came in, Calgara, the great warrior of their island. The one who's known to show no mercy to any outsiders who invades their island.

From the very beginning of the meeting Calgara had been listening, and decided to wait for the right moment to interrupt.

"If you are referring to the priest, he has fallen ill and his condition does not look good. If you all need his opinion, I would suggest going now." He stated with a serious look on his face.

Everyone was not so surprised to hear that the priest has fallen ill. The villagers has started lose hope that this plague will never go away. Everyone got up in silent and went to where the priest resided.

The council members exited the hut and went to the hut where the priest now resided in. As they entered into the priest's hut, they same the priest was laid out on the floor in the middle of the hut, there the village council gathered. The priest wasted no time and as soon as everyone was seated he started to talk. Calgara stayed standing in the door way observing, leaning his shoulder against the wall observing from afar.

"This island has been inhabited and ruled by us Shandians for over 400 years. We have encountered many obstacles in the past, but never have our people suffered like this. Our rule will soon come to an end if we do not overcome this plague." The priest began to cough.

No one wanted to interrupt the dying priest; they all were listening intently not wanting to miss a single word. Because, whatever the priest may say next was going to save their people or it may not. This was their last hope, and the Chief had a pretty good idea of where the priest was heading with this and he did not like it.

The Chief narrowed his eyes.

The priest recovered from his cough for only a minute he struggled to say these last few words.

"This land has been, cursed. We must sacrifice...uuhhh...a girl!...Upon the sacrificial alterrr! If nothing is done Shandra will fall to ruin…."

Those were the last words the priest had uttered. Everyone stayed silent for a while, honoring the dead priest for his last piece of wisdom. Silence and tension was beginning to grow within the room. No one dared to break the awkward silence.

Everyone was looking at each other and finally then towards their Chief who apparently seemed to have made up his mind.

"How many victims have there been already?"

"Over a hundred and at the rate we are going by the end of this week perhaps over two hundred." a council member answered.

"How can this be?" added another member in despair.

It became silent once again. The Chief did not wanted to admit it, but what else was there to do, this was their last hope.

"Nothing like this has ever happened before! And now…..another life will be taken."

Everyone was depressed. They did not want to sacrifice an innocent life, but what else were they to do. If, this one life can save the lives all the villagers from the plague. Then the council was willing to sacrifice that one life in exchange for saving the life of many.

The Chief took the silence in the room as a yes to the idea.

"Now, we must decide on which girl shall be chosen to be sacrificed."

"It must be a daughter of a great warrior." stated a council member.

"What about the little sister of Calgara?" stated another.

The Chief thought about it. Calgara was descended from many great warriors of the past and his father was a great warrior indeed, and he had certainly passed down that talent down to his son, Calgara. His daughter, Muse, would be perfect.

Calgara, who remained at the door way the entire time, could not believe what he was hearing. They wanted to sacrifice one of their own, a girl at that. However, to make matters worse they decided to choose his sister.

_Over my dead body!_

"NO!" he screamed.

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><p><strong>Hope you all liked it, let me know what you guys thought. any critques will help ^^, i am willing to improve in my writing.<strong>

**till next time muhahahaha, i will try and update every week or so it really depends when i feel like it ^_^.**


	2. The Plague

**Hi again, i felt like updating another chapter, i am already working on chapter 3 ^_^ and i have nothing really much to say. As for reviews well, i had gotten atleast one review _. Now people don't be shy i don't bite, so whenever you feel like reviewing go ahead ^^. Well, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own one piece, i think its quite obvious. XD**

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><p>Chapter 2: The Plague<p>

"NO!" he screamed with a threatening voice.

Everyone turned and faced Calgara.

"Calgara, we understand how you feel, but.." the council member could not even finished his sentence, he was interrupted by Calgara.

"You will not sacrifice my sister, choose some other girl, there are many other warrior's daughters to choose from." He waved with his arm towards the side pointing behind him towards the village.

"You know we have to do this, we have no other choice, and Muse is the best option. Listen Calgara…"

"No, you listen; if you all want my sister you all will have to go through me." He warned. Calgara turned and was about to head out when Chief spoke.

"Calgara! Are you going to turn your back on your own people? You are willing to sacrifice the entire village, just for the sake of your sister."

Calgara stopped, it suddenly became very quiet in the hut, and no one spoke a word. The Chief continued.

"You are a Shandian warrior, sworn to protect this village; promised everyone in the village that you will protect them, and this is how you act. Have you no shame. I cannot believe you of all people would act like this, you the hero of our people who protected us all these years, would now turn your back on us in our time of need."

Calgara turned around and faced everyone in the hut, glaring at them. His glare ended on the Chief._ That old geezer always works on my nerves, he knows how to pin point someone weakness and use it against you. Grrrr, what to do?_

The Chief knew that any Shandian warrior valued there honour more than anything. Before they become a warrior they have promised to uphold the protection of their kind above all other things, even family.

"If you go against us we are forced to consider this as an act of treason and have you thrown into the volcano to be burned alive, Calgara."A council member added but Calgara did not even acknowledge him. His mind was focused on the words the Chief Shaman said. _Dang it, the old geezer is right. _

Just as his father and his descendents before him, Calgara was a warrior. He was known as a hero amongst his people and a demon amongst his enemy's. When he became a warrior he knew that duty came before his own family. His duty was to protect this village and the gold City of Shandra; however, what he was doing now was selfish. Calgara contemplated. He knew his job was to protect the village, but it just does not feel right to have your little sister, whom he have protected his entire life, just to be sacrificed. _What kind of older brother would I be if I don't protect my sister, even if it means death? But, if I choose to act selfish, the village will perish and so will the golden city of Shandra that has been protected for centuries will fall to ruins._

His decedents would be ashamed of him right now, if he were to choose to be selfish.

_Dang it, I don't care what my descents think of me, or my father, their dead anyways. I would not be able to live with myself knowing I just let my sister be sacrificed. _

But, deep down Calgara knew that he does care.

_Dang it!_ He slammed his hand in the wall shaking the entire hut. _What do I do?_ He asked himself desperately.

All the while this was going on, no one knew that little Muse was over hearing the entire conversation. She was standing just outside the hut, where she could overhear everything.

Before she arrived at the hut, she was looking for her brother to tell him that dinner was ready. She had guessed that her brother would be in at the priest's hut, as she was approaching the hut she heard her brother yelling. She had stopped where she was and she could not help herself as she tried to overhear the conversation that was going on in the hut.

Muse could not believe her ears. She was in shock. S_acrifice? I am to be sacrificed!_

It did not surprise her that her brother was defending her. Tears were starting to form in her eyes, she was happy that her brother was protecting her, even though he knew he would be severely punished in the end. _But I don't want brother to die, for my sake. _The tears finally started to fall down at the side of her face.

As far back as she can remember her brother had always been there protecting her and the village. She always admire her older brother and wanted to return the favor, but when she always tried to return the favor, something would go a miss and she would end up being the one either saved or being consoled by her brother. _This is now my chance to help my brother and the village. _

She tried to stop crying, and wipe the tears from her face. She stared up at the sky for a while hoping that all the traces of her tears and puffy eyes were gone. She stood up, gathered her courage, and came out of her hiding place and headed towards the entrance of the hut.

Meanwhile back in the hut. Calgara had not budged one bit. He was not threatened by the consequences of his action, he could care less. The Chief softened up a bit now, seeing that his words had seemed to affect Calgara. The Chief took this as an opportunity to reach out to him again.

"Calgara, we know there are other fine warriors, but we chose from the best. That is why we choose Muse. Calgara, we understand how you feel, but you know better than anyone else that this must be done. That we have no other choice anymore." Chief said sympathetically.

Just as Calgara was about to respond, someone entered the hut. Everyone turned and noticed it was Muse who entered. She had a serious look on her face, her eyes seemed a bit puffy, but the look she gave was one that meant business.

"I will do it! If it will save the village, I will gladly give up my life." She said with her most serious look she can muster.

Calgara could not believe his ears. _What is she saying; she must be out of her mind._

"Muse, you don't have to do this." He tried to convince her out of this.

"Think of mother" _Think of how I will feel._ He thought desperately.

Muse looked towards her brother.

"Brother, I know, but this is something that has to be done. If not the whole village will perish. If my life can bring an end to this plague and save the village, then I am willing to give up my life." She stated finally.

The Chief and everyone in the hut all stared with wide eyes. Silence one again befalling within the hut.

After, a while the Chief finally spoke up.

"Well, Calgara it seems your sister has made her decision. What say you?"

Calgara could not believe what was happening before him. His little sister whom he protected his entire life, was now refusing his protection. Calgara stared at her in hoping she would change her mind. However, he knew no matter how hard he pleaded with her or how long he waited, he knew she was not going to change her mind. Not with that look she was giving him.

"So be it." He whispered.

"Then it's decided the ceremony will be held at sun down tomorrow."

Calgara just turned on his heels and left the hut and headed towards the forest. He needed to be alone right now.

That night Muse went to tell her mother.

"Why are you crying, Mama?" Muse asked her mother sadly.

"I am going to meet the Sun God. It is an honour to be chosen as a sacrifice." She padded her mother on the back.

When Muse told her mother the bad news, right away her mother broke down crying. Muse was trying to console her mother, but nothing seemed to work she just continued to cry. Muse took her mother in an embrace.

"Mama! Thank you for raising me all these years. I love you. Please stop crying, you are starting to make me cry." As she thanked her mother, her own tears started to fall from her eyes.

She and her mother stared at each other. The mother started to cry even harder and returned her daughters hug tenfold.

The next day, in the forest, a boy around the age of 14 was sitting out in the rain on the floor. He was dressed similarly as every other Shandian.

The Shandian's dress generally resembles dress of Native Americans and their skin is often decorated with tattoos that cover large areas of their bodies, they have wings that are shaped in an upward direction. Even though, they have wings they are mostly for show, because they can't fly with those wings.

The boy could not believe his eyes. He stared at the green spot that he had on his arm.

"Please no, this cannot be happening to me." Tears started to form in his eyes. He kept staring at his arm hoping that this was all just a bad dream.

"If this is a bad dream, please let me wake up!" He stated desperately.

He took a rock using his other arm and started to hit his arm with the rock. Hoping that the pounding would make the green spot go away.

"Get off!" he continued to hit his arm. However, no matter how much he hit at the green spot, it was not going away. He lost hope with every hit he made and began to cry even harder. Even though, blood was starting to leak down his arm, he continued.

"Get off of me! I don't want to die yet" The little boy screamed desperately.

Just then Calgara came walking by. Calgara heard screaming coming from the forest and headed to check it out. He saw the boy on the ground.

The boy noticed him and looked up.

"Great Warrior Calgara…"

"Seto." Calgara looked down at the boy, his eyes going wide. He finally noticed why the boy was so upset.

The boy saw the men's expression and looked down with a sarcastic smile.

"Yeah, it has finally reached me. Here I thought I was not going to get infected." His expression now turning back to a sad one.

"I wanted to be like you someday. A brave warrior, fighting to protect our land!" Seto cried out.

Seto had always admired the warriors of his village, especially the great warrior Calgara. He had always wanted to be a great warrior and protect the village alongside the other warriors. He had trained so very hard, until the point where his body would give out. He had trained day and night for so many years, but now it all seemed for nothing. His ambitions are now only but a mere dream. Now that he was infected, it would only be matter of days before he becomes extremely ill with fever and then die.

_I don't want to die like this._ He always wanted to die protecting the village, but that to, seem to be out of his reach.

Seto got up and turned towards Calgara showing him his arm.

"I don't want to die like this!" he ran off screaming deeper into the forest heading towards the shore.

Calgara was too shocked; he just stared at the running boy. He hated to see his people suffer like that. Calgara tilted his head back staring up at the sky letting the water drops fall down on his face.

_Will our suffering ever come to an end? How many more lives have to be taken before all this come to an end? _He thought in despair.

"Captain, you never seemed to amaze me. We take the heading you say to, and sure enough, there's an island!" A crew member, Pablo stated.

Pablo is the doctor on board the ship. Even though Yuki was a capable doctor, Pablo was far better suited to fill in the doctor position on board the ship. Yuki was more skilled botanist then a doctor. Her knowledge on plants was outstanding and she was always eager to learn more; to examine new plants. Many times in the past she never failed to create medicine, and cures for the islanders who were plagued with illnesses. She had learned everything from her father Norland.

During the storm that day, Yuki told John to sail towards the direction she heard the bell chime coming from. Not soon after, sailing for a while, they came across a forest covered island.

"Yeah, and more good news. The storm seems to be gone." Stated Yuki while looking up at the sky.

"But, really, none of you heard it?" She asked to her crew again. She refused to believe she was the only who heard it.

"Nope, no one heard any bells." Pablo stated.

"Right, everyone!" John added in.

"Yeah!" the crew chimed together, probably ready to start teasing their Captain.

"You must have been hearing things, Captain! Perhaps you need to have your ears checked." Yuki rolled her eyes and ignored them.

After a while they finally settled the ship close as possible to the island.

Yuki and her crew started to prepare to go, explore the island. Yuki grabbed her coat and put it on, she placed her katana on her left hip, and tied her hair back. Just then someone under a cover in the far right corner on the deck was rolling over yawning.

Yuki looked up and saw her father.

"Dad? I thought you were sleeping in your room?"

Her father stood up stretching. A crack could be heard from his old joints.

"Well, the thing is. I was enjoying the sun, but then suddenly I fall asleep. I slept well." He said meanwhile yawning.

"Dad, how many times have I told you not to fall asleep on the deck, you gave me a lots of trouble, the last few times. And again you slept through a storm." Yuki shook her head with a hand on her forehead.

"I swear, you can sleep through anything, last time was through a snow storm, the time before that was when we were stuck in a whirlpool, and the time before that was when we were surrounded by numerous of massive hurricanes, and in each one of those situations you always fell overboard, because you fell asleep on deck." Yuki stated in a fed up manner.

"Ah, yes well, I don't really remember any of those events" The father said smiling while scratching the back of his head.

_Of course, you would not remember you were asleep the whole time!_ Yuki thought.

Montblanc Norland, the name of Yuki's father. He was an Admiral of the kingdom of Lvneel, but he found out how selfish his king truly was and did not want to serve under such a king like that. Norland took his daughter and fled from the kingdom and he and Yuki has been roaming through the grandline ever since.

While sailing they had encountered many island that were under corrupt ruling. They would try not to intervene, and keep a low profile. However, they always found themselves mixed up in the problems of those islands and end up aiding them, because of Yuki. Over the year, they had gained a reputation among the people they helped and were viewed as pirates by the Marines.

"Well, Dad since you're up, just letting you know, me and the crew are going to explore the island." She pointed towards the island.

"We made it to an island that's good, I will join you. I need to get off of my butt once in awhile." He said while stretching again.

Yuki and her crew proceeded towards the shore, in small row boats. They made it to the shore; everyone looked around, and saw green everywhere.

"This is quite a lush jungle" Yuki stated while looking up.

"I hope we can find some good specimens to research." John stated.

From the jungle came some rustling noise. Everyone looked in the direction the rustling sound was coming from. In the sky, came a bird flying out, from the top of the jungle trees. The bird made a strange cawing sound. John took this as an opportunity to mess with his captain.

"Captain perhaps that is what you might have heard?" he said laughing. The rest of the crew also joined in.

"Haha, very funny." She pouted turning her head in their direction.

"Do you really think I'd mistake that strange bird's call for a bell?" she pointed towards the bird.

Pablo was about to say something, but then suddenly out of nowhere, a magnificent bell sound could be heard. Everyone stood quiet. A smile started to form on Yuki's face.

"Captain, did you…" A crew member started to ask, but then another bell chime cut him off.

Everyone turned towards the jungle from where the bell chime came from. The bell chime continued after another. Everyone closed their eyes and smiled enjoying the magnificent sound.

"It's unreal. The tone is so beautiful." John stated.

"So this island is inhabited." Yuki stated smiling and headed towards the entrance of the jungle.

"Hey, Captain! Wait for us! Don't leave us behind." Stated the crew a bit worried.

Yuki and her crew entered the jungle. A water drop fell on Yuki's head. She looked up towards the sky and saw that it began to rain.

They continued to go a bit further into the forest, but not too soon Yuki noticed something lying on the ground up a head. As she approached it, she noticed it was a boy.

"Someone's collapsed over here" She said towards her crew who were following right behind her.

Seto, not too long ago, came running in this direction, tripped and fell over the slippery floor of the jungle. He was so depressed he decided to just continue to lie on the floor. He was too weak to get up. _I might as well just die here._ Seto heard some people in the distance approaching from the shore.

"Oh no! Intruders, I have to warn the village." He tried to get up get up, but his strength failed him. He landed right back on his face and he started to cough.

"Hey, you there are you alright…" Yuki said with concern. She almost reached to where to boy was.

Seto tried again, this time managing to get up. As the crew caught up with their captain, a crew member noticed something was wrong.

"Captain, there's something strange about this kid!"

Seto started to run without really looking in which direction he was heading. His mind was only preoccupied with reaching the village to warn every one of the intruders. However, he was too weak so he was outmatched by Yuki's crew and was caught.

"Let me go!" Seto yelled angrily, wiggling his arms around trying to break free. Pablo noticed the green spot on the boy's arm. He knew right away without further examination what was wrong with the child.

"This is a plague known as Tree Fever and apparently it hasn't been treated." Pablo stated looking towards Yuki.

Yuki, now deep in thought had a serious look about her. _The Tree Fever and it has not been treated yet, not good. The Tree Fever if not treated right away with doses of Cornia a special element from a tree bark of a tree, a person could die in the matter of days. _

"W-We've got to get off this island!" A crew member stated a bit scared. Yuki ignored him and spoke to Pablo.

"Pablo, do we have any Cornia left? I think I saw some. Administer doses to this boy and the whole crew." Yuki added.

"Yes, captain!"

Yuki looked straight out up ahead in the jungle, narrowing her eyes. _I have a bad feeling about this._

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><p><strong>Hope u liked the chapter. Let me know what you think _ *cough* in the review section *cough*. XD<strong>

**This chapter was a little bit longer then the chapter before. I don't know how long the next one will be. In the next chapter the two main characters will finally meet, so stay tuned XD. Until next time.**


	3. The Determination

**Hi again my peeps, sorry for the delay i had exam week and now i was able to finish this chapter. This chapter is longer then the others to make up for the delay. T_T but i have so little reviews i am almost basically talking with myself. I hope more people will start to read it soon XD. well, hope you like the this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own one piece, it's simple as that not all of us are that lucky XD.**

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><p>Chapter 3: The Determination<p>

The rain continued to pore; one could hear lightning in the background.

After treating Seto and letting him go his own way, Yuki and the crew continued onwards deeper into the forest. They soon came across the village. Even though, Yuki was expecting something bad, she was still caught by surprise. She was not expecting things to be this bad. The crew could not believe the site before them.

The village looked like a diseased ghost town. Plants and trees, which surrounded the village, were bare of leaves, crop fields were empty, and the small river next to the village was an unhealthy looking green. The air in the village was horrible; to get close to it you would have to cover up your nose and mouth.

Yuki walked up to the crops field and looked down. _The crop field is dead._ She said to herself. She then bent down and took some soil into her hand. She rubbed the soil between her fingers and narrowed her eyes, she looked at the soil in her hand and then to the river. _The soil is infected, and by the look of the color of the river it's obvious that the water is also infected. This is far worse than I had imagined._

"The soil is infected, due to the river. The villagers probably notice a little too late that their river was infected before they had watered their crops." Yuki stated, while standing back up, not even glancing at her crew.

"What do you mean by that Captain?" A crew member asked.

"When the Tree Fever infects a river, at the beginning the water stays clear even though its infected, and by the time it starts to change color it's too late."

"Now, go and search the village; if you find anyone, you know what to do." Yuki said with a serious voice. She was determined to save this village no matter what the cost might be.

John stared at his Captain, he knew that look she had on her face. He had seen that look so many times before. It would always be around the time when they encountered people who were in trouble and needed help and of course the Captain, being the way she is, always wound up butting in, and ends up trying to help.

And whatever she decides, the rest of the crew would automatically have to follow. Once she sets her mind on something, John knew that there was no way to change it. And the look she gave now was the one that stated she was determined to save these people, no matter what. That is what John, Pablo, her father and rest of the crew admired about her, her determination.

The crew decided to split up and search through the village.

Yuki just stared at the site before. _By the looks of things I doubt there is anyone here in the village right now. _She looked around. _Where could they be? _She thought to herself.

Pablo who was searching for any sign of life in the village, could not find any. He entered hut after hut, and saw no one. He could see that the Tree Fever had infected the food of the villagers by examining the leftover food which was left behind in the huts.

Yuki walked towards the river. As soon as she got there she bent down next to it, and started to examine the water. _If we perhaps follow this river, we might be able to have an idea where the source of the Tree Fever is coming from, and then eliminate it. _She thought, while looking up in the direction from where the river flow was originating from.

Everyone was done searching through the village and decided to report back.

"Captain there is no one in the village." stated a crewmember.

"And apparently there food is also infected." Pablo added.

Yuki was about to comment when, drums began to play. Everyone heard the drums and looked in the direction from where the drums were coming from and by the sound of it; it was not far from the village.

Yuki got up and smiled.

"Well, at least we know where the villagers are, and by the sound of it they are probably holding a ceremony of some sort." Yuki stated.

"Alright, men lets go." Yuki said while she started to walk in the direction the drums were coming from.

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><p>The villagers were gathered around the sacrificial altar. The sacrificial alter was surrounded by water, in the middle of a small dam. The villagers were standing at the side lines at the shore watching the ceremony taking place. As the drums began to play, the villagers started praying to their God.<p>

A council member was at the top of the sacrificial altar waiting for the sacrifice to be brought.

"Bring the girl to the Altar!" he shouted.

At the shore a small row boat was being prepared by two guards.

"It is time to go, please step into the row boat" one of the guards said to Muse.

Muse had her hands tied behind her back and was dressed in sacrificial clothing. The sacrificial clothing was a white dress. She waited until one of the guards who was in front of her to get into the boat, before she went in. After a few seconds she was now being brought to the sacrificial alter in the row boat.

Muse looked up and saw that she was getting closer to the altar. She could see a council member at the top who began to speak to their God.

"God of the Sun!..God of the Rain!...God of the Forest!...God of the Earth!..."

Calgara was standing at the side lines watching the whole ceremony. He saw his little sister finally reached the altar. She was now climbing the stairs one by one to the top of the altar.

At this point, Calgara had already given up trying to save his little sister, he tried to reason with her, but if the person you love refuses your protection, there was nothing else he could do. He convinced himself that he should follow his sister example and be loyal to the village, so here he was doing just that. In a way he was kind of proud of her. For a 16 year old girl she knew her loyalty and duty was for the village.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Calgara thought he saw something moving in a tree top not too far away. He stared at the spot for a while, however there was no further movement, _I am probably imagining stuff. _He thought.

Muse reached the top of the altar. She stared at the granite slab that she would be laid out on, and took in a deep breath preparing herself mentally of what was about to happen next. The guards led her to the slab and tied her down to it. Muse, who was now looking up at the sky, closed her eyes; she was ready to accept her fate.

While the guards were tying Muse down, the council member continued chanting.

"In exchange for this girl's life, please save our village!"

The guards and the council member left the altar and join the rest the villagers at the side of the dam, and now everyone awaited for their god to accept their sacrifice and answer their prayers.

It was quiet, only the sound of the rain still falling in the background. Everyone was waiting anxiously.

Then, not far from the altar, in the water there was a shadow moving at an average speed approaching the altar.

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><p>While the ceremony was going on, up in a tree Yuki was watching the ceremony. She went ahead of her crew, leaving them behind to catch up with her later. Yuki had arrived just in time to see the beginning of the ceremony. By the looks of things, she knew right away that this was a sacrificial ceremony. She knew, because she has seen many before. The very first ceremony, she saw her own mother sacrifice. Yuki was mad and her thoughts began to drift to a certain memory she does not want to relive. <em>No! Stop thinking of that time, it was long time ago.<em> Tears were starting to form in her eyes. _I won't let this go through. _These kinds of ceremonies, which kill an innocent life, she would not let any of them proceed, while she was still alive. Yuki was now more determined than ever.

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw something moving. She glanced at the water. _There is something in the water and its moving fast._ She thought, while keeping her eyes focused on the shadow figure.

The shadow finally reached the altar. It stayed down a while. A few second later, a gigantic snake was slowly coming out of the water. Everyone gasped and some marvelled at the size of the snake. The snake was bigger than most buildings, and it was blue with a single row of white hair on both sides, along its body.

Yuki was not so surprised, but still it's not every day one sees a gigantic snake bigger than a million of ships lined up next to each other. _What the!… that is one big snake. _Yuki thought to herself.

Meanwhile, all the villagers were shocked to see that their god had appeared.

"It's God Kashi!" Everyone gasped and marvelled at the snake.

"MUSE!" the mother yelled desperately trying to reach out to her daughter, even though the mother was miles away at the side of the dam away from her daughter.

"You mustn't! She can save the village." two villagers said while trying to hold the mother from jumping in the dam.

The rest of the villagers were admiring their god.

"God Kashi…" Everyone stated admiringly.

"What a magnificent form." They all said in unison.

The villagers then all closed their eyes and started to pray to their god.

"Please… Please save my son! And my father!" one of the villagers said.

Others were also praying for the plague that infested their village to go away.

Calgara had no expression on his face while he saw the snake continued forward towards his little sister. He glanced at his mother and felt guilty that he could not do anything to ease their mother's pain. _Mom, I am sorry I could not do anything for Muse._

Yuki, who was still in the tree watching, stared at everyone waiting to see if they will save the girl. However, no one made a move as the snake moved in closer and closer towards the girl. _Well, if no one is going to save the girl then I guess it's up to me._ Yuki decided to act and did not even think about the consequences of her actions. Yuki stood up on the branch of the tree, and dove into the water.

The villagers saw something dove into the water. They began mumbling amongst themselves, trying to figure out what that something could be.

" What?... Something fell in."

"What was that?"

Calgara was now glaring at the figure that jumped into the water. It was now swimming towards the altar at a fast rate. He saw the figure reached the altar and was now running up the stairs. The figure then jumped into the air while holding its katana and slashed horizontally underneath the snakes head.

The snake roared in agony while its head was chopped off and was now collapsing into the water.

Yuki landed on the top of the altar and stared angrily at the collapsing snake. There was a big splash when the head and body fell back into the water.

All the villagers around the altar stared in shock. They all gasped in shock.

"What just happened!... Who is that?" the villagers said gaspingly while staring at Yuki.

"God Kashi!... He's killed a god!" the villagers said accusingly.

Yuki turned and headed towards Muse and with her katana she cut the ropes and freed Muse. Muse, who had her eyes closed the whole time, now opened her eyes and stared at Yuki with a surprised look on her face. Muse was not expecting that she would be saved by anyone. Yuki bent down and helped her get up.

"This ritual is over….. You must have been terrified…It's okay now…. You don't have to die." She stated with a soft expression.

Muse was still staring at Yuki. Tears started to form as she heard Yuki words. She was trying to hold in her sobs, but unfortunately she could not hold them in. She grabbed on to Yuki and started to cry on her shoulders.

Yuki felt a bit awkward. She looked desperately around her. She was not the type of person who knew how to console another person. She awkwardly patted the girl on her back, waiting until the girl finished crying.

While Yuki was on the altar the villagers were now panicking.

"The whole village will be cursed!" they yelled out in panic.

"God Kashi... Please forgive us!" They yelled out desperately hoping that their god will forgive them. They were now thinking on how to appease their God for forgiveness.

"Kill them both!... Offer more lives to our God!... Before we incur His wrath!... Calgara! Kill him for us!" The villagers were yelling.

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><p>At this point, Yuki's crew had arrived in the middle of the ceremony, right when their Captain dove into the water. They all saw what their Captain has done.<p>

_Dang it! The Captain's really has done it this time! _John thought to himself. However, he was probably not the only one who was thinking the same thing.

"They sound pretty pissed!" Pablo stated.

"The Captain doesn't have her wits about her!" said a crew member.

Except for Pablo, John, and Yuki's father the rest of the crew started to get a bit worried.

"She killed a god!" a crew member stated.

"What's going on!" another interjected.

"We shouldn't get involved in tribal rituals!"

"But since when did our Captain ever not have gotten involved in anything?" John stated casually.

"Ah, yes that is true." Pablo agreed.

Right next to John was Yuki's father. He was staring at his daughter with a smile on his face. _That girl she is just like her mother._ He thought to himself.

"That's my girl" The father stated proudly. Everyone stared at Yuki's father.

"This is not the time to be proud of your daughter, Sir" John hissed.

Long before Yuki became captain, Noland was captain and the crew still held respect for him and always called him Sir, out of respect. When Yuki was not around and the crew seemed lost, he would take charge. It was strange for the crew; to them it was like having two captains on board. The crew would joke around saying that they were the only pirates in the world that had two captains.

"Hahaha, why are you all so tense there is nothing to worry about, just relax and leave it up to Yuki." Noland said, while he started to sit down on the ground.

The villagers continued to plead for mercy. They now asked Calgara for help.

"Please appease God's anger, Great Warrior Calgara-sama!"

Calgara acted fast, he was now already at the base of the altar. Calgara was glaring up at Yuki, while Yuki was now also glaring back at Calgara. The rain was falling harder, and the thunder roared in the background. Yuki spoke first.

"This ritual is not the answer to your problems, it's just barbaric." She declared loudly.

"Please let me help y-" she was cut off by Calgara.

"We do not need your help. You will be eliminated!" Calgara stated angrily while climbing the stairs at a fast pace with his spear in his hands pointed at Yuki ready to attack.

He aimed his spear towards her heart, but was blocked by Yuki's katana. Their weapons were locked in each other and none of them made any move. They stayed in place while glaring at one another.

"Have you all always held these kinds of ritual that involves human lives? If so that is not the answer!" Yuki stated.

"I do not have to answer to you! You will atone for your sin!" Calgara stated back.

Calgara drew back his spear, and tried to pierce Yuki again. She moved towards the side fast enough, blocking the spear again with her katana. And so they continued fighting each other, Calgara trying to pierce Yuki while she skilfully deflecting his attacks.

The village council and everyone else were surprised to see someone fighting on same terms as Calgara.

"Who is that short man? He's fighting evenly with Calgara!"

Yuki and Calgara came to a stop to catch their breath. _For a feminine looking man, he sure is strong, I must eliminate him fast. Too bad though, I would have liked to battle with him a little longer, strong enemies like him does not come around so often. _Calgara thought to himself.

Calgara drew a small dagger. He threw the dagger towards Muse. It landed in front of the shocked Muse. She stared at the dagger then at her brother.

"Now, use that dagger and relinquish your life, before it is too late" He stated.

Muse gasped sadly while staring at the dagger.

"What?" Yuki asked while staring at Muse.

"For the sacrifice, who will save our village to weep and beg for her own life… Can you not feel the shame! Hurry and appease our God." Calgara stated angrily towards Muse.

Yuki interjected hoping to change their minds.

"That thing just now was no more than a gigantic snake, it was no god, it was just an over grown reptile who just happened to be hungry and took the opportunity to eat this girl. Your god would be a more powerful being; it would not be defeated so easily." Yuki said while pointing to where the dead snake was and then towards Muse. Yuki was hoping that these people weren't as stupid as she thought them to be.

"Watch your tongue you bastard. First you kill our God and now you insult Him. No more." Calgara stated.

Everyone was watching the scene before them. The Chief who was watching spoke up.

"You, who have insulted our God, will now pay with your life. If we sacrifice your life along with your companions and Muse, we might still be forgiven by our God."

Calgara turned towards Muse again and begged her with a sad voice.

"Now Muse, hurry for our village sake, please do it."

Muse snapped out of her shocked state and picked up the dagger. With a sad expression she held the dagger above her chest and was ready to stab herself.

"Enough of this!" Yuki stated angrily. She turned fast towards Muse and slapped the dagger out of her hands. She then stared at Muse.

"Don't, you will be wasting your life. The village problems will not be solved this way." She stated softly to Muse.

Yuki had let down her guard, and Calgara took the opportunity. He took his spear and pierced Yuki in the back of her left shoulder blade. The stab was deep and barely missed her heart.

Yuki fell down to her knees, her katana fell out of her hands and landed right next to her. Yuki turned around on her knees to look at Calgara.

"Captain, are you alright" the crew yelled worried for their Captain.

"Get away from her" John yelled ready to go to Yuki's side.

As the crew started running to try to rescue their Captain they were stopped by the other warriors of the village. The crew was ready to fight, drawing out their weapons. However, Yuki ordered her crew to stand down.

"You guys stay out of this. I am fine." She said. She saw her crew now being held captive by the other warriors in the village.

Yuki tried breathing through the pain. She now glared at Calgara. He began to speak.

"Our sacred duty for hundreds of years has been to banish all intruders from this island! You have committed the unforgivable sin of killing a God! Your life alone cannot make amends for this! We shall take all your lives to atone for this atrocity!" Calgara stated.

"Is that what this is about? Life? Sacrifice? Is that how little your God thinks of his own people's? This ritual is barbaric, an innocent life will be lost for nothing. I WILL NOT LET IT PROCEED!" "

Yuki stopped to catch her breath. The pain in her shoulder was increasing by the minute. It was silent for a few seconds; the rain began to die down. Yuki kept staring at Calgara straight in the eye. She could see that Calgara was in a state of shock including everyone around her.

Yuki seemed to notice that she had their attention and took the opportunity and try to convince them one more time, hoping that this time she will succeed in getting through to them.

" I will repeat one more time" Yuki still held a serious expression. She got up and placed her katana back in her sheath and turned her gaze towards the Chief.

"Sacrificing a life to your God is not going to help save your people from this plague. It won't change anything; the plague will just continue to spread and more people will die."

"This ritual is an insult to botanist and researchers like me, who set out to sea for the prosperity of all people. This is a disgrace!...And if your God truly value your lives, is this very ritual not in contempt of them!...Give me time!... I will lift this so-called curse! And if I can't, you may do what you will with us!"

Yuki needed a break from talking, the pain was too much for her right now and she was also losing a lot of blood.

However, this whole time she kept her gaze steady.

As soon as she paused for a while, everyone who were at the side lines started to shout.

"What?"

"Dog! Do you think yourself a God!" Everyone shouted angrily.

Yuki just wanted to slap her for head with her hand. _I swear these people can give a person a headache. _She took in one more deep breath, and continued.

"AND in exchange, if I can save this village, you must swear to never hold these kinds of ritual again!"

The Chief stared into Yuki's eyes, trying to find any hint that she was lying, but he could only see honesty and determination coming from her face.

Up until now Calgara was even more impressed. He was moved by this feminine man's wisdom. _What he says could it be true? If so my dear sister live could be saved._ Calgara thought about it for a while.

Yuki then turned her gaze away from the Chief and back to Calgara. As soon as Calgara saw the determination in her eyes, he wanted to trust her he almost made his choice; however, the last time they trusted an outsider they were betrayed. _Forget it, the last time we trusted outsiders they had tried to steal our treasure and killed some of our people in the process. _Calgara wasted no time to respond.

"Is that all you have to say? How absurd! You will die here and now." Calgara replied.

Calgara was about deliver the final strike when the Chief spoke and interfered.

"Let him try!" declared the Chief.

The Chief had apparently made up his mind to give this young man before him a chance. He was hoping that, what the young man said was true, even though the last outsider also said to trust him. _I hope I will not regret my decision? _He thought to himself.

Everyone was shocked and they all turned to their Chief.

"What are you saying Chief!" said one of the warriors close to the Chief.

"The fate of these men will be decided tomorrow evening." He stated lastly.

"I accept!" Yuki replied.

Calgara was surprised at the Chief's decision. _That old geezer! What is he thinking?_

"Old man, what are you doing don't you know what happen the last time?"

The Chief turned and walked away, leaving Calgara's question unanswered.

Calgara looked back at to the feminine man and stared into his eyes again. _Something about this stranger is different from those before him. _

As Yuki's crew was being taken away, and everyone leaving the altar site, Calgara walked up to Yuki.

"Just because the old geezer gave you a chance until tomorrow, does not mean I agree. If you do anything, that will make us regret our decision, I will gladly eliminate you on the spot." He hissed while walking away with Muse.

When the site was clear of everyone Yuki sagged to the floor._ Dang it! I am losing too much blood. _Yuki thought while staring at her right hand which was covered in blood. _I don't have the time to tend to my wound and to be sitting around, I have to go look for the antidote. _

Yuki stood up, she wobbled a bit but she steadied herself while leaning against the slab. When her dizzy spell wore off she began her search. _I have to search for the Cona Tree this island should have them._

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><p><strong>Hope you liked this chapter, i will try and post the next chapter soon, but i think it will take a while XD. If i do take long have no fear, i will not stop until this fanfic ends with a happy ending. Please review, let me know what you think. -*cough* pretty please *cough*-<strong>

**Until next time.**


	4. Trouble

**Sorry for the delay, and also for the shortness of the chapter. I will try to make chapter 5 longer. As for the rating, well i have been contemplating if it should stay M or change it to T. please let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I dont own one piece.**

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><p>Chapter 4: Trouble<p>

The rain finally came to a stop as the sun began to set. John and the rest of the crew were now being held inside a big cage, and beside that cage, Muse was being held in a smaller one.

"So tomorrow night is the deadline." John stated while leaning lazy against the bars of the cage.

"We are going to be killed." A crewmember stated desperately.

"Trust the Captain." Pablo commented back. Pablo who was sitting in the corner of the cage close by to Muse's cage turned towards Muse.

"Hey, Missy! Things must be tough for you too." Muse turned to address them.

This whole time Muse has been deep in thought about that strange man who rescued her. The words he spoke were still going around in her mind. _Could there really be a cure to save our people?_ _And who was that man, and why does he wants to help us?_ She thought to herself. As soon as she heard somebody calling out to her, she took the opportunity to ask about the man. She looked up at them and began to ask her question.

"That man?" As soon as she began to ask her question, John knew who she was going to ask about and began to answer her before letting her finish her question.

"Ah, you mean the Captain. She is not a man she is a women." John stated.

Muse was a bit surprised.

"But, the way she was dressed…?"

"Yeah, that is how the Captain likes to dress for some reason. Her name is Montblanc Yuki. A rather famous researcher and botanist and also pirate, however the pirate part not by choice though. She explores uncharted islands and documents new species of plants as part of her research. Many would know her as the hero of the people. " Pablo continued for John.

"She is too nice for her own good. She just can't turn away from situation like this! But we know we can count on her. " The other crew added in proudly laughing at their Captain.

_Yeah right! You guys were just now saying that you're going to get killed. _John thought to himself.

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><p>In the central hut where meetings are usually held, the council members were gathered around in a circle again discussing what happened at the altar.<p>

"Why did you not let Calgara kill him?"

"You will have the answer you seek tomorrow. He said he would save the village. Nothing will be lost by waiting." The Chief answered calmly.

"How can you be so patient?...To ignore the Priest's words and trust that man…"

One of the council members turned towards Calgara.

"Calgara, please say something about this!"

"If I feel even the slightest danger to the village, I will not wait until tomorrow night to kill him." He stated seriously, while he had his arms folded in front of him and had his back leaning against the wall.

"I do not have the power to hear the voice of the Gods. However, I can hear the words of a wise person…. That is all." The Chief concluded. Hoping everyone will just drop the subject and wait to see what happens.

"HMPF!" Calgara mumbled while walking towards the exit. He did not wanted to get lectured anymore so he exited the hut, hearing the last words the Chief said.

When he exited the hut, right next to him Seto was sitting on a barrel next to the doorway.

Seto was staring at the ground; his face had a serious look about him like he was deep in thought.

"Why are you still awake?" Calgara asked Seto. It was now late at night not the time for children to be out and about and especially not in the condition Seto was in right now.

Seto looked up at Calgara, his face expression never wavering.

"I am healed." He just stated bluntly.

"Great Warrior Calgara, do you think that person can save our village?"

Calgara was shocked.

"How can you be healed? Seto stop talking nonsense."

"No, but is true. Look!" Seto said while pointing at his arm where the green spot was before.

Calgara looked at his arm and he could not believe his eyes, the green spot was not fully healed but it was going away, it did not looked like the same green it was before.

"How is that possible?" He asked.

"When I was in the forest, I ran into that man. I was not fast enough to get away, and they held me down and inserted me with something pointy, and also put some kind of herb on my arm and wrapped it up for me. Since then I became better and the green spot on my arm began to go away."

Calgara could not say anything he just stared at the boy in front of him.

* * *

><p>It was now nightfall and for a while now Yuki has been looking for Cona Tree. She looked for a very long time and still could not find a single Cona Tree. In the state she was in she needed to rush to tend to her injury. <em>Dang it! There should be a Cona Tree in this forest for sure; maybe I should try another area.<em>

As she was about to leave the area to try and look in another section of the forest, she turned around and spotted a tree. This tree had the same features of the Cona Tree she had been looking for. She walked up towards the tree and examined it.

"I have found one! This is a Cona Tree!" She stated happily.

"Of course I'd find one in a forest this size. Now I just need some bark of this tree and I will have enough for the entire village."

She bent down and started to rip some bark of the tree, until she found it was enough for the village. _I will come back later to get more to make remedy's to heal the ground._ As she was about to turn and head towards the village, the ground began to tremble and hard.

_What the?_

Many small pebbles were landing on her shoulder; she turned around and looked up, she saw something big falling down a hill heading her way, but before she realized what it was, the world around her went black.

* * *

><p>All of a sudden the earth began to tremble. Back at the village everyone was running around in panic.<p>

"It's an earthquake!"

"It has come! It has really come! This is the wrath of God Kashi!"

The ground near the village began to split.

"Hey, let us out!" Some of the crew men in the cage began to yell.

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><p>Not far from where Calgara was, he heard a landslide. He ran towards it to see the damage.<p>

"What a grievous sight." There was a big piece of the cliff that has broken off and landed in the forest area.

While staring at the sight before him, he saw someone stuck beneath that piece of cliff. Calgara ran towards the person, but only to see it was the strange men he had met before. He smirked.

Yuki was almost near conscious, her body ached all over especially her lower half and her right side. It was also a bit hard to breath. She opened her eyes and realized why she ached all over and could not move; she had got caught in the landslide, and somehow had gotten stuck underneath a huge boulder. She was breathing hard, her entire right side and rest of her body from chest to down was stuck underneath the boulder except for her left arm and shoulder and of course her head. Her head also ached and realized there was blood leaking down from her forehead.

_Great now not only do I have more injuries I also probably have a concussion, my day could not be getting any worse now could it?_

As soon as she thought that she heard a familiar voice.

"What a sight!" Calgara said with a smirk on his face.

"It seems that God has chosen to punish you Himself!"

Yuki looked up and saw the man. She was breathing hard now, to the point that she was gasping for air. _Great people like to prove me wrong don't they? _

Yuki still gasping was now smirking.

"Then it seems that your God…isn't as powerful as you say. He doesn't even have the power to kill one human."

Calgara did not reply back.

_Good that would shut him up for now. _Yuki thought.

Yuki tried to wriggle her way out from underneath the boulder. But, no luck she was not able to move an inch.

"Still you struggle."

This man was starting to get on her nerves. She really did not need this right now.

"Sorry, but would you mind leaving? I don't feel like looking at your face." She said while glaring at Calgara.

"How amusing. I want to watch this! Go on and wriggle!"

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><p><strong>Hope u liked the chapter, untill next time. Press that button down there, and leave a comment^^.<strong>


	5. Out of Time

**Hi guys sorry that i have not updated in a such a long time. I just was not motivated to continue until a few days ago. So here you go. Hope you all like it. It is short but i will make it up next time. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

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><p>Chapter 5: Out of Time<p>

The sun began to rise from the east. After the earthquake the tension in the village seemed to have grown.

"Another warrior has departed. And with the damage from that earthquake…" One of the warriors said while staring at the dead bodies being brought to the burial site.

The warriors all started to gather around the cage the crew was being held in. All of their anger was now being directed towards the crew. In a situation like this it would seem easier for the villagers to blame another, and in this case they were now placing the blame on the crew.

"You people are a pestilence. You shall atone… here and now!" a warrior stated angrily.

Some of the crew members started to panic.

"H-hey, you've got it wrong! Hey wait! Can't we talk this over?" one of the crew members mumbled.

The warriors were now pointing their spears towards the cage. They were about the attack, but stopped at the last minute.

Seto was now sitting in front of the cage in the way of the warriors attack.

He sat on the floor with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Staring up at the warriors he admired with a look of disappointment and anger.

"Seto! Get out of the way! What are you doing!" a warrior yelled.

"The warriors of Shandra whom I admire should have more pride than this!"

At this the warriors stepped back, Seto's words sinking in. They should be ashamed of themselves. They were trained warriors of their tribe. They were trained with always keeping their emotions in check and not let it get the better of them.

At the same time the crew members were now relieved to still be alive for a moment longer. And were now thanking Seto.

Many hours passed and Yuki was still stuck. She was struggling to get out of from under the boulder, but still no luck. She was only exhausting herself.

Calgara was sitting not far from where she was. He was sitting on a fallen over tree watching her every move.

"When the sun begins its decent in the western sky and once again sinks into the sea. The lives of your men will be offered to the gods."

Calgara said while staring at Yuki directly in the face.

After a short rest she tried to get out again, trying to push the boulder up, but the boulder would not budge.

"Dang it!" Yuki coughed a bit and started to rest again.

Calgara started to laugh.

"How appropriate that you were caught in the landslide. This is truly the work of a god. It's surprising you're still alive."

Yuki said nothing she just ignored him, focusing again in trying to move the boulder. This time she tried moving with every ounce of strength she could muster.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" She cried out with all her might and the boulder began to move a bit.

Calgara was not smirking anymore. He was amazed that she was able to move the boulder. _He's lifting it? _(-remember Calgara still thinks yuki is a guy.)

But this did not last long, the boulder only moved an inch and that was it. Yuki collapsed once again on the floor. Breathing heavily. However, Yuki was not about to give up; she rested only for a second and then continued. She repeated this until sundown was nearly approaching.

Back at the village the ceremony was starting to take place.

"Prepare for the ritual!"

"Take the sacrifices to the Altar!"

The crew members were now being taken out of their cage by the warriors and were being brought to the altar. Along with Muse.

Seto had not wanted to move, but he had to admit that time was almost up. He had stepped aside to let the warriors transfer Yuki"s crew to the altar.

"The sun is setting. They will be starting the ritual soon."

Calgara looked from the sunset back to Yuki.

Calgara now stood up from where he was sitting.

"You are in a pitiful state. Is this the man that defied a god? "

Yuki was exhausted with her face in the ground breathing heavily. It was starting to get harder to breathe. She heard Calagara began to talk and looked up at him.

"What are you so afraid off?" She snapped back at him. Her patience was wearing thin.

"What?" Calgara raised a brow.

Yuki continued.

"Cowering in fear before a formless terror… Offering people lives…. Can you really live with yourself?" Yuki raised her voice at the last part.

Calgara had no time to respond. He was still processing what she just said. He did not understand what she was trying to say.

"Live with myself?"

Yuki's became angry.

"A sacrifice is a life taken in vain!"

_My sister's life will be taken in vain? She would die for nothing. _That was running through Calgara's head at the moment.

He to became angry. He was not particularly per-se angry towards her, but the words hurt so much. He was mostly angry with himself. Since the beginning he knew deep down that he knew the truth, that his little sister's life would be taken in vain. He had been holding his anger for quite some time now, and at this point he had reached his limit. He could not hold his anger anymore. His impulses took over, and Calgara aimed to release his anger out on Yuki.

He began to kick her. He made sure he caught a good part of her face and the part of her upper torso.

Yuki could not do anything, but to brace herself for the pain.

"For hundreds of years this has been our way of life."

Calgara was still trying to convince himself. He was saying out loud what he kept telling himself to justify his reason.

With all the kicks Yuki was receiving she knew definitely she now had a few broken ribs. However, even with all the pain, she still found the will to talk back to him. She could feel that Calgara was beginning to waver. She had a feeling that she was getting through to him.

"That does not make it right." She had difficulty to say.

"Silence. You outsider!" Calgara did not want to hear it.

"No matter how great your gods may be the lives of people ARE MORE SACRED!" Yuki coughed a bit, however yelled at the last part frustration getting to her.

~*~*~Altar~*~*~

The steady beat of the drums began to play, one of the villagers shouting in the background.

"The sacrifices are upon the altar, they will be delivered unto heavens through a ritual of fire."

Muse who was at the down part of the altar, was now slowly walking up the stairs to reach the top of the altar. She had a determined look about her, the fear she had from before had vanished. She had sometime to herself to think things through. She had reminded herself that she was doing this not only for her brother but for her people as well.

Yuki's crew was already at the top of the altar tied up together. There was wood all around them.

The crew started to yell for their captain.

"Captain! They are going to burn us!"

John and Yuki's father, however was calm as ever. They knew she would reach on time.

"Letting an innocent girl die….." Yuki needed to stop for a while it was getting harder to talk. She took a couple of breathes before she continued.

"I can't understand how you people live with yourselves. This barbaric act is less than human."

Yuki was still at it trying to get through to Calgara. He had stopped his kicking a while ago and was now standing there with a guilty and sad face.

Calgara turned his back to Yuki, now staring off at the approaching sunset.

"Live with our selves you ask! Even if that women from yesterday was my own little sister?"

Yuki was shocked at this.

"You bastard how could you? You ordered your own little sister to relinquish her own life!"

Calgara still had his back to Yuki.

"You and your crew would never understand the power of the words of a priest who hears the voice of God!"

Calgara now turned his head towards Yuki and stared at her.

"I must obey the law of the village! I cannot spare her life just because she is my little sister."

From afar there were sounds of trees falling over and a slithering sound.

Then out of nowhere another gigantic python has emerged towering tall looking at his prey, which was Yuki.

Both Calgara and Yuki stared at the python.

"This is smaller than the last one. Is this God kashi son?"

Calgara now turned toward Yuki again.

"It has come to bestow judgment upon you for spilling blood of a god!"

Calgara was not the only one who was holding in his anger. Yuki has also now reached her point. She was beyond angry.

_What judgment?_ She asked herself.

Yuki was now concentrating on the Python. It was approaching slowly. And while it was approaching slowly, Yuki hoped that this last bit of information would convince Calgara.

"A few years ago in mine own country, the same plague which is ravaging your village, the Tree Fever, took the lives of 100,000 of mine people including mine own mother. I then decided to become a doctor to help anyone I can. And now a person will never die from the same disease! Do you know why? Because I have discovered a cure for the sickness. In my right hand right now I hold the root of the Cana Tree! We can extract the coline from this tree root. If we bring this back, your village will be saved"

Yuki coughed. She used the last bit her air and will in that last comment.

Calgara was stunned. He could not believe what he just heard. He was always able to tell when a person was lying and during that little monologue he had not felt any presence that Yuki was lying. He gulped.

_If this is true then….. my sister….. can be spared… _He though over in his mind slowly.

Yuki saw that she was finally reaching him and decided to continue while she had the chance.

"Do you know how many people around the world ran out of time while waiting for this? How many people died before it was found! Do you? You are crushing this great step of progress! And so I said your ritual is a disgrace to me, my mother and all those other people who died."

The Python was now ready to attack.

"And if you love your God like you say you do, than you should especially not sacrifice an innocent life, or any human life for that matter. Who are you to decide that? God is a person who would never wish anything bad for us. He is our father and always wishes the best for us. It pains him to see us this way, especially when we are taking a life of another. "

With this Calgara thought back to the Chief Shamans words. _"I can hear the words of a wise men." _

And just before the Python finished his attack Calgara intercepts and in a blink of an eye the Python collapsed on the ground with Calgara's spear lodged in its head.

Calgara was standing on top of the Python head, tears now falling from his eyes.

"Answer me this! Can you really save the life of my people and the life of my little sister? Can the village be saved?"

Without a second thought and delay Yuki answered with confidence.

"It can!"

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><p><strong>Hoped you guys liked it. I will have the next chapter up as soon as possible but i can't make any promises. Please review they motivate me to continue. Till next time!<strong>


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